Airship.



D. G. NEWSOME.

' AIRSHIP.

APPLIOATION FILED JARSI, 1910. RENEWED MAY 17, 1913.

Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

2 BHEBTS-SHEET l.

D. G. NEWSOME. v

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.31, 1910. RENEWED MAY 17, 1913.

1,082,039. Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

2 8HEET8SHEET 2.

ti a

til. NJEWfilDME,

irniirnfn neat D13 BUlLIER, IVIIEESOUBI.

AIRSHIP.

incense. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

Application filed January 31, 1910, Serial No. MLlew. Renewed May 17, 1915. Serial No. 768,352.

To all nr/zont it may conccrn Be it known that l, Dnznrsnr (it. Newsone, a citizen ol the United States, residing at Butler, in the county of llates and St ate ot' Missouri have invented new and useful Improvements in Airships, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improve ments in ships and analogous apparatus adapted for aerial navigation, and it, has for its object to provide an air ship of large carrying capacity and one. wherein the requb site buoyancy and propulsion are effected by novel devices which involve rcciprocatoiy plnngers and (:(racting air jets or pipes from which compressed air at suitable pressure is projected against the reciprocatory plun- 913.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide compressors for supplying air to the pipes which project such air, such compressors being of large capacity and having means for regulating the amount of compressed air supplied to any number of the pipes whereby the speed or elevation of the ship may be varied, or its inclination may be varied for ascendinn or descending.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a chamber in the upper portion of the ship to contain a relatively light gas to afi'ord stability for the ship and to assist in supporting the ship in the air, and also to provide means for applying heat to the root of the ship in order to prevent the :lCClUl'lth lation of ice or snow thereon.

To those and other ends, the invention consists in certain improcements, and coinhinntions and arrangements oi parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being "ointed ont particulnrly in the claims at t to end of the speeilication.

In the accompanying; dis-living: lhinnre 1 represents a control vertical section taken longitudinally of an air ship constructed in accordance with my present invention; Fig. .2 represents a section of the rear por tion of the ship taken in a horizontal plane;

3 represents a transverse vertical section threnr h the ship; Pig. 4: is a detail view showing a pair of compr ors; ind l i g'. 5 is a detail view of one oi: the compressors showing the means for regulating" its capncity.

Similar parts are reference characters designated by he rune 1n the several In the present instance, I have shown one embodiment 'of the invention wherein the ship is in the form of a car 1 which may be of any ap 'lrimriate dimensions having a [loor 2. side walls 3, a ceiling 4i, and a dome 5 is surmounted on the car, the space be tween the ceiling; i and the dome forming a chamber (5 to contain a relatively light gas to assist in the support of the car in the air. A valve T is provided in the ccilingthrough which such gas may be introduced. The dome is also preferably provided with an inner roof 8 to form a space 9 for the circulation of a heating medium which will prevent the accumulation of ice or snow upon the top of the dome. Heat may be applied to such chamber in any suitable way, heaters 10 being shown conventionally in the present instance and located at the front and rear of the car in such a position that the heat generated thereby will enter the space or chamber 9.

JU'('Ul'tlllll' to the present invention, the car is supported in the air by a suitable number of rcciprm'atory plnngers which act in cooperation with jets of compressed air which are projected against such plungcrs.

these plunp'crs being placed in the floor of the car and a re exposed to the atmosphere beneath it. Each oi such devices consists in the present instance of a transversely elongated plunger II which is preferably in the form of a trough and extends from side to side of the car, the plunger being mounted to reciprocate in a casing 12 which is rigidly connectci'l to the floor oi the car and is open at. its under side. This trough shaped plunger is rcciprocated rapidly by means of an engine or motor it) which may he of any appropriate construction, an internal c01nbnstion or other engine having a reciprocatory piston being preferably used, the connection rod of such engine being connected by a pitman ti to a crank shaft 15 and the latter in turn being; connected by a Jitninn Ill; to the plunger lit For each plunger, one or more till compressors is or are pro vidod. a pair ot ci'nnprcssors l7 and 18 beinp; shown in the present instance which may be duplicates but arranged in reverse relation. ll prefer to employ a compressor comprising a tapered or conical casing 19 which may be suitably supported upon the lioor oi? the car and t'OIltltHl53 a correspondshaped compressor screw till, the screw nionntnd or connected to .ilt it].

which is arranged parallel to the engine shaft 15 and may be connected thereto in any suitable manner, such for instance as by a belt 22. One or more pipes 23 connect the smaller ends of the compressor casings with the space beneath each reciprocating plunger 11 at points toward the opposite sides of the car, the discharge ends of these pipes 23 being upturned so as to direct the compressed air forcibly and perpendicularly against such plungers. The force of the air projected from the pipes 23 will produce a reaction, tending to resist the downward movement of these plungers, and the resulting reaction against the engine orcrank shaft 15 will tend to lift the car. The air delivered against the plunger by the pipe 23 will also be directed downwardly from such plungers after impinging thereon, and the reaction of such downwardly directed air will supplement the lifting edort e11- erted upon the reciprocating plungers.

In order to control the volume of air projected against the reciprocating plunger toward the two sides of the car and to thereby ailord stability for the car, I provide means for vanying the relative capacities of the compressors, the intake end of each compressor in the present instance being provid with a head 24 having a suitable numher 0 intake openings or ports 25 therein, and a regulating or controlling disk 26 is applied to the head 24: and is rotatable about the shaft 21 as an axis, this regulating or controlling disk being provided with openings 27 corresponding in number and location to the openings 25 in the compressor head. This disk may be provided with a manipulating handle 28 and by turning the disk, the effective capacity of the compressor inlet may be varied by covering or uncovering more or less of the inlet openings 25 in the compressor head. If found desirable or necessary, clutches 29 may be provided for the compressors whereby they may operate independently or both may operate or remain at rest.

Any suitable number of reciprocatory plungers 11 and their operating engines and compressors may be provided, each plunger preferably having its individuai actuating engine and a countershaft for driving the compressors.

At the forward end of the car, I provide a framework 30 which supports a casing 31 in which a horizontally reciprocatory plunger 32 is mounted to reciprocate, this plunger 32 operating to propel the car in a forward direction. This plunger 32 may be reciprocated in any suitable manner, it being provided with a motor or engine,33 in the present instance which has a reciprocatory piston which is connected to a crank shaft 34, the latter being connected to the plunger 32 by means of a pitman or other suitable connection 35. The engine 33 which operates the plunger 32 also serves to drive a suitable number of compressors 36 which may be of the same type as those used in connection with the plungers 11, pipes 37 serving to conduct the compressed air to the rear side of the horizontally reciprocating plunger 32.

At the rear of the car, a similar framework 38 is provided which supports a casing 39 in which a double-ended piston 40 is mounted to reciprocate horizontally, such piston being provided with an operating motor or engine 41 which is connected to a crank shaft 42, and the latter is connected by a pitman or other suitable connection 43 to the piston. This engine 41 also operates asuitable number of compressors 44: and a pair of pipes 45 leads from such compressors to 'the forward side of the piston 40 while a second pair of pipes 46 leads to the rear side of the plunger 40. Suitable valves 47 are provided whereby compressed air may be projected against the rear side of the plunger 40 while the car is traveling in a forward direction, and compressed air may be supplied to the opposite side of the plunger 40 through the pipes i5 when the car is traveling in a reverse direction.

Steering of the car may be efiected in any suitable way. lln the present instance, I provide a pair of rudders 48 which are pivoted or hinged on vertical axes 49 at opposite sides of the car and preferably at the rear thereof, and such rudders are connected by a member 50 which in turn may be equipped with a steering lever 51 operable from the interior of the car.

Rising and descending movements of the car may be effectedrespectively by increasing or diminishing the amount of air which is directed against the vertically movable plungers 11 through the .pipes 23, the regulation of the air supply to these pipes being controlled by the respective controlling disks 26. Also, the car may be steered upwardly by supplying a greater amount of air to the underside of the plungers 11 toward the front of the car as compared with the amount of air supplied to the plungers 11 toward the rear of the car, and vice versa.

I claim as my invention:

1. An air ship comprising a suitable car, and means for supporting and propelling the car, comprising pipes having vertically and horizontally directed outlets, movable abutments cooperative with said outlets, and a compressor for supplying compressed fluid to each pipe. I

2. An air ship comprising a suitable car, and means for supporting and propelling the same comprising pipes having vertically and horizontally directed outlets arranged toward opposite side and ends of the car to project compressed fluid therefrom, reciprocable abutments cooperative with said outlets, compressing means for supplying compressed fluid to said pipes, and means for varying the amount of compressed fluid delivered to the respective pipes whereby equilibrium of the car may be maintained.

'3. An air ship comprising a suitable car, a suitable number of plungers, each plunger being reciprocable vertically and having its under side exposed to the atmosphere at the under side of the car, means carried by the car for reciprocating each plunger, horizontally movable plungers arranged toward the ends of the car, means for reciprocating each horizontally movable plunger, and means for directing fluid under pressure against the horizontally and vertically reciprocable plungers.

4. An air ship comprising a suitable car, a pair of plungers arranged toward the front and rear thereof and having means for reciprocating them longitudinally, and

means for directing fluid under pressure against the rear sides of both of said plungers and against the forward side of one of said plungers.

5. An air ship comprising a suitable car, a casing mounted at one end thereof, a member arranged in said casing and having front and rear faces both exposed to the atmosphere, pipes having outlets for projecting fluid against the front and rear faces respectively of said member, compressing means for supplying fluid under pressure to said pipes, and means for controlling the action of said fluid under pressure against the forward or rear faces of said member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DEMPSEY G. NEWSOME. Witnesses:

A. E. CAMPBELL, M. C. TRIPP. 

